Why I liked inFamous better than Prototype

If Cole McGrath ever got into a fight with Alex Mercer, I have no doubt that the Prototype hero would win over the underpoweredinFamous one. There would be no contest. Alex could turn his right arm into a giant blade and cover himself in armor, rush over to Cole an turn him into human sushi.

There’s no debate about that. But frankly, the powers of a superhero don’t translate to popularity. The Martian Manhunter is arguably one of the most powerful beings in the D.C. Universe, but he hasn’t captured everyone’s imagination the way Batman has. There’s something in his alienness that makes him less likable than a billionaire who happens to dress in a cowel and fights crime at night. We can’t relate to a Martian, but we can imagine having a beer with Bruce Wayne.

Maybe it’s the underdog quality or perhaps it’s the story and characters that inhabit Empire City, but I prefer the carefully paced and richer inFamous compared to wanton destruction and mystery of Prototype.

In a way, both games are all about origin stories. Prototype’s tale is more obvious but told through a series of vignettes. Meanwhile, inFamous’ beginning is the twist at the end of the story. But when it comes down to it, I didn’t care as much about what happened in Prototype as I did in inFamous.

I had no passion for the paper-thin supporting cast or even Alex Mercer. To me, the goal of Prototype was to get from Point A to Point B of the story. You kill someone, unlock part of the story so that you can proceed to the next mission and then the next until the climax on the USS Ronald Reagan.

Cole, on the other hand, just seemed like a regular person who happens to have superpowers. He has a friendship to worry about and love interest who starts out hating him. The setup is more conventional, but it’s also more compelling than a badass loner who kills whomever he pleases.

Comparing the two, I’d say this: Cole is more like the classic Marvel hero. He’s like Spider-Man who has regular guy issues while balancing the problems of fighting super-power bag men and SWAT teamish soldiers. As for Alex, he’s more like the earlyShadowhawk from Image Comics. He’s dark, brooding and over-the-top violent. That kind of hero is interesting for the first couple of issues but tends to lose its impact over time.

The other element separates these two games is how the public reacts to each character. What’s amazing about being a superhero is seeing how your actions impact the world. In Prototype, there’s a huge disconnect that I noted in my review. While there’s gunfire and a zombie infestation in the street of New York, its citizens go around acting like nothing has happen, which is puzzling. I’m sure if people were getting shot at and monsters were roaming the streets, I’d be holed up in my house waiting for this to pass.

Secondly, Alex could do some ridiculous things like absorb people in the middle of the street and no one would blink an eye. There’s also the fact that the man can run up and down walls and jump from 10 stories up, and when you do this in front of Blackwatch soldiers, they don’t even take notice. It seems as if Alex exists in a weird bubble. It breaks up the thread of believability in a gritty story that direly needs it.

Meanwhile, Cole has an absolute impact on the world. He can decide on whether to act like a hero and villain, and there are decent consequences for these actions. The public can celebrate him or jeer him. His friend and on-and-off girlfriend has different reactions to these decisions. Cole is part of the fabric of Empire City. He doesn’t exist outside it, and that’s constantly reinforced by the television newscasts.

It’s this immersiveness and believability that makes inFamous work better than Prototype. Although Alex can cause apocalyptic damage, fly a helicopter and drive a tank, he isn’t a great hero. For all his powers, he’s not someone you can relate to.

Ultimately, this debate breaks down to whether you like a hero like Batman or Martian Manhunter, and given this choice, I’d pick the guy in the cowl every time.